Operating head for dump door mechanism



Jan. 17, 1956 R. N. GUNNISON OPERATING HEAD FOR DUMP DOOR MECHANISM 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

Filed Feb. 4, 1953 INVENTOI. fiche/(M! Gamma/z, 3 BY 5 Jan. 17, 1956 R. N. GUNNISON 2,730,967

OPERATING HEAD FOR DUMP noon MECHANISM Filed Feb. 4, 1953 a Sheets-Sheet 2 of E.

IN VEN TOR.

Jan. 17, 1956 R. N. GUNNISON OPERATING HEAD FOR DUMP DOOR MECHANISM 3 Sheets-Sheat 3 Filed Feb. 4, 1953 INVENTQR. E w/zamfiMu/Uzwwz, KM. W

United States Patent OPERATING HEAD FOR DUMP DOOR MECHANISM Richard N. Gunnison, Elmhurst, Ill., assigrror to Enterprise Railway Equipment Company, Chicago, IlL, a corporation of Illinois Application February 4, 1953, Serial No. 335,001

2 Claims. (Cl. 105--311) This invention relates to an improved head for use in connection with an operating shaft employed in connec* tion with a dump door mechanism of a railway hopper car and the like.

This invention is by way of an improvement on the operating head shown in United States Patent No. 1,839,- 296 to Campbell wherein a safety operating head is shown in connection with a door operating mechanism of the so-called jackknife type in which a rigid arm swings through an arc of approximately 180 degrees during the opening or closing movement of the door. The type of head above referred to, while quite satisfactory for a mechanism having a shaft rotatable through an angle of 180 degrees or less, becomes unsuitable for use in connection with a mechanism made up of a plurality of links and which has a swing considerably in excess of 180 degrees.

The invention herein overcomes the limitations in the conventional type of mechanism in that pockets are pro vided for holding an operating bar in the head in two different radial positions and this is accomplished by shifting the bar lengthwise and moving the extreme end of the bar from one pocket to another. The invention further resides in the details of construction associated with the improvement whereby the means for holding the bar provided for convenience and safety in operation.

For further comprehension of the invention, reference may be had to the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure l is a vertical cross-sectional view taken through the lower portion of a hopper car showing slightly more than half the width of the car and illustrating a hopper door in closed position with a door operating mechanism employing the improved safety head;

Figure 2 is a vertical side elevational view of the structure shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view taken through the hopper door generally on line 3-3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a side elevational view on an enlarged scale of the improved safety head showing the removable bar in full lines positioned in engagement with one of the fulcrum pockets for initiating opening movement of the doors and showing the bar in conventional dot and dash lines positioned in the second fulcrum pocket to assume a different radial position for continuing the opening movement;

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4 except that the door operating mechanism is shown in partially released position, the bar is shown by full lines in the next succeeding pocket to that shown in Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a view, similar to Figure 4, except that the mechanism is shown in fully released position with the bar positioned ready for closing; and

Figure 7 is a view, similar to Figure 6, except that the shaft is shown as having been rotated to bring the door to partially closed position.

Referring to the drawings the car structure includes a center sill 10 and side wall 11 of the car and positioned between said center sill and side wall is a hopper 12 in- 2,730,967 Patented Jan. 17, 1956 eluding inner and outer side walls indicated at 13 and 14, respectively, said side walls meeting with upper and lower sloping floors 15 and 16 to define a discharge opening 17 intermediate the margins of said floors and walls.

Surrounding the floors and side walls is a frame struc ture 18 having hinge butts 19-49 at the upper portion which are apertured to receive hinge pivots 20 whereby a discharge door 21 is pivotally mounted to close the opening. The door is reinforced adjacent its swinging edge by a door beam 22 which extends transversely underneath the center sill 10 to connect with a similar and transversely aligned door disposed on the opposite side of the center sill. The pair of transversely aligned doors are thus. adapted to be operated in unison by means of operating mechanism shown generally at 23.

The mechanism 23 includes an operating shaft 24 journalled at a location between the hoppers in brackets 25 carried by the center sill 16 and at the side of the car in side bracket 26. The operating mechanism 23 includes a hub 27' non-rotatably mounted on the shaft 24. The hub 27 has circular journal portions 28 which are extended in the brackets 25 and has radially extending arms 27 and 27. Connecting the hub 27 with the door beam 22 is linkage comprising a link 29, Figure 3, pivotally connected to the arm 27 and a hook-shaped link 36 having one end adjustably connected with the door beam 22 at 31 and having the opposite end formed with a shouldered portion 32 adapted to register with a seat 33 formed in the link 29. The link 29 and arm 27 include interengaging lugs as indicated at 34 and 35, respectively, in order to provide an interlocking engagement between these parts and cause the linkage and hub to function in unison.

The mechanism 23 in closed position is adapted to assume a. toggle locked position as shown in Figure 3 by reason of the line 30 joining the axes of the pivots of the link 3%} extending at one side and slightly below tie pivotal axis 36 of shaft 24.

The shaft 24 is adapted to be operated by a safety op erating head, shown generally at 37 in Figures 4, 5, 6, and 7, embodying the improved constnrctie-n. The head 37 includes a hub portion journalled in the side bracket 26 and non-rotatably secured to the shaft 24. Outwardly thereof is a wall 38 having a laterally outwardly extending fulcrum post 39 spaced from the axis of rotation 36 of the shaft 24 and on the opposite side of the axis 36 there is a pocket structure 41 of generally W- shape providing two V-shaped fulcrum pockets 41 and 42 adapted to receive the end of a removable bar indicated at 43. The operating head 37 includes outer walls 44 spaced appreciably from the fulcrum post 39. They provide an open sided housing between the post 39 and the walls of the pockets 41 and 42. The lateral side walls 45 of the W pocket configuration 40 are continued beyond the outer walls 44 for a limited distance and converge towards the post 39 to finally merge therewith. The outer end of the post 39 includes a bulbous portion 46 to hold the bar 43 against accidental slippage. The lateral walls 44 and 45 are of gradually decreasing depth in the transition from the pockets 41 and 42 to the post 39 for the purpose of automatically displacing the bar 43 outwardly upon overrunning by the shaft 24, thereby preventing injury to the operator.

It will be noted that the W-shaped pocket structure is located on one side of the axis 36 of rotation of the shaft 24 and head 37 and that the pockets 41 and 42 open radially inwardly while the fulcrum post 39 is located on the opposite side. Further the pockets 41 and 42 are located symmetrically on opposite sides of the projection of a straight line 39' extending between the axis 36 and the center of the fulcrum post 39. This facilitates the reception of the bar 43 in either of the for operation.

pockets 41 or 42 from one side or the other of the fulcrum post 39.

The operating head 37 is provided with a plurality of ratchet teeth as indicated at 47, 48, and 49 which succes'sively engage with a pivoted pawl 50 during the door closing operation and cooperable with the pawl 50 for locking the latter in position is a dog 51.

In operation, the dog 51 is swung out of engagement with the pawl 50 and the latter is swung out of engagement with the tooth 47. The bar 43 is inserted underneath the fulcrum post 39 as shown by the full lines in Figure 4 into the pocket 41. Force is then applied to the outer end of the bar 43, and it is swung in the direction' indicated by the arrow 52 to rock the operating head 37 and shaft 24in a clockwise direction. Rotation of the shaft 24 as described effects opening movement of the doors. Since the operating mechanism includes the link 29, the operating head 37 must be turned'further to complete the opening movement than would be required if this link were not used as in Campbell Patent No. 1,839,276 above referred to. For this purpose the second pocket 42 is employed for receiving the bar 43 as shown by broken lines when the operating head 37 has been rocked to a position where it is convenient to shift the bar 43 from the pocket 41 to the pocket 42 and continue the opening operation; A subsequent position of the operating head 37 during the door opening operation with the bar in the second pocket 42 is shown in Figure 5.

The position of the operating head 37 with the doors in the full open position is shown in Figure 6. To close the doors, the bar is first inserted underneath the post 39 and into the pocket 42. Then the bar is lifted in the direction indicated by the arrow 53 to rock the shaft 25 in a counterclockwise direction. The bar 43 can be shifted to the pocket 41 when the head 37 has been rocked to the position making this relationship more convenient Figure 7 shows the operating head 37 in position corresponding to the partially closed position of the doors.

What is claimed as new is:

1. For combination with -a shaft for moving the closure of a hopper car discharge opening by rotation of the shaft, an operating head adapted to be non-rotatably mounted on one end of said shaft with its axis of rotation coincident with the axis of rotation thereof and having a W-shaped pocket construction on one side of said axis opening radially inwardly and a fulcrum post on the other side of said axis whereby an operating bar for rotating said head and thereby said shaft can be inserted to one side of said post and into either of the pockets of said W-shaped pocket construction, and a wall overlying said W-shaped pocket construction for preventing the end of said bar in either pocket from disengaging'the same by sidewise movement.

2. For combination with a shaft for moving the closure of a hopper car discharge opening by rotation of the shaft, an operating head adapted to be non rotatably mounted on one end of said shaft with its axis of rotation coincident with the axis of rotation thereof and having a W-shaped pocket construction on one side of said axis opening radially inwardly and a fulcrum post on the other side of said axis whereby an operating bar for rotating said head and thereby said shaft can be inserted to one side of said post and into either of the pockets of said W-shaped pocket construction, said pockets being symmetrically located on opposite sides of the projection of a straight line extending between said axis and said fulcrum post, and a wall located on said one side of said axis and overlying said W-shaped pocket construction and requiring that the end of said bar be with V drawn from either pocket by endwise movement thereof;

Campbell -Jan. 5, 1932 Zimmer Sept. 17, 1946 

